Thanksgiving is an interesting holiday. It isn’t (nor has it ever been) like the ones you see on television. For me, it tends to be a bit of a bummer because I never REALLY get a great meal and I miss my dad. The meal part? Being a vegetarian means I fill up on side-dishes and bread and a lot of times over the years people don’t realize that if you made the green beans in a chicken stock, I can’t eat it – so no green beans either. Truthfully, my family has gotten a bit kinder in this regard, but most years they still forget.

The last 5 years or so I’ve been coming out to Illinois with AJB and spending it with his Mom and the kids. It’s been pretty fun, but the meal part still isn’t anything to write home about – I guess it’s up to me to create foods I can eat – I just never do. This year I made stuffing and while everyone seemed to like it, it wasn’t great. Meh. It was alright.

Instead, I concentrate on the true meaning of the holiday. Treasuring the moments with the kids flipping out over some game, laughing, running around, making a mess. This year, the eldest JDB is off to college to the youngest siblings really miss him and are extra happy to have him around. Pretty soon they’ll all be gone and the holidays will be the only time we see them.

And I miss my Dad. I can’t help but recall that it was over a Thanksgiving weekend that I realized he might have cancer. I would find out I was right only a month later. It was just a guess at the time, but I knew something was dreadfully wrong and I was right.

I also miss my side of the family. I wish that there was some way we could all get together on Thanksgiving, but alas – everyone is in their own corner of the world and travel is hardly practical.

I am however thankful for many things. Here’s this year’s list:

1. My family. Every single member.
2. My husband – He makes life better
3. A wonderful mother-in-law who seems to like me a lot.
4. Our new house – Even though it’s hardly move-in ready, it’s ours and we’ll be in it soon.
5. My friends. I know some pretty cool people.
6. Oatmeal, Matilda, and Eva. They make life better.
7. Christy and Myra – They make life better.
8. Music – Where would I be without it?
9. Home, food, shelter, clothes, and the ability to keep buying them all.
10. Everyone is healthy and alive.
11. Left 4 Dead and the nightly games with my brothers – we play online and get to chat and kill zombies almost every night. It’s awesome.

While I’m thankful for these things every day, it’s nice to put them down on paper and really take a look at how good my life is. I have a great life and I mustn’t forget that.

That said, I’ve always loved cooking. I love experimenting and making food that results in yummy noises at the table. I have a fairly exotic palate, but AJB will eat whatever I place in front of him. I’m also a vegetarian with vegan tendencies. AJB’s kids are not and do not. Unlike most kids, they’ve seen the world and have done a great deal of traveling. Although, like most kids, they also enjoy just about everything that’s bad for you, filled with sugar, loaded with carbs, and made on an assembly line. They enjoy easy food that is wrapped in too much protective plastic and slathered in far too many preservatives. If that wasn’t enough, AJB’s twin boy is an extremely picky eater and doesn’t handle change very well. I, however, believe that food directly effects your health, mood, and longevity. Good food from good sources means you’re in tune with nature, your community, and your body.

So how do I balance my needs and the desires of AJB’s kids? It hasn’t been easy. They visit every Wednesday and two weekends a month. On those nights, I try to cook, but sometimes it’s just not possible. We end up ordering take-out or pizza for the umpteenth time. In order for me to cook, I need to prepare rather heavily. This means shopping once a week and making a meal plan. I also work best with recipes or items I know and love. I’ve also figured out that if I introduce organic/vegetarian meals that look and taste like the bad foods they love, the reception is a lot better. For example, tonight I made organic, homemade pizza followed by organic/macrobiotic poppy seed cookies. Both went over very well. If I were to say “you know, you’re eating macrobiotic cookies,” first of all, I’d have to explain what macrobiotic is. Secondly, they might not like them as well. AJB’s twin boy always seems to ask me what’s in the food and I tell him, but I never use terminology like “vegetarian”, “vegan”, or “gluten-free”. It’s not important. What is important is that they enjoy it and so far, they have. Once or twice they’ve commented that the pasta was weird, but they ate it anyway. So, there you go.

Learning to feed 3 children with 3 different personalities has been a challenge, but it’s one that I’ve grown into and have come to enjoy. It’s a far cry from where I was a few years ago – wondering if I could handle it, having mild panic attacks at the thought of being a step mom, and fretting that I might blow a quiet fuse. You know what? It’s all gone so well that I can’t say I have any complaints. What I really want, besides feeding AJB’s kids good, healthy food, is for them to recall these days with fondness. To recall that their future step-mom was pretty cool and she always made good eats. When they go off to college, they’ll think back and miss these home cooked meals. It’s so important to sit around the table and eat together. It’s the foundation of a happy family and I’m more than content to do my part.

It’s funny, people have always told me I’m good with kids and I guess I am. I often wonder about having my own kid(s). I’ve stepped into the step mom role rather well and am trying to maintain a good balance between being cool and being responsible. It’s a lot harder than you think.

* I want to start taking pictures of the food I make. Some of it actually looks really nice.

It looks good enough to eat!

Step by step directions on making a Wall-E sandwich:
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/30838730.html